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Thursday, May 23, 2013

Nasarawa massacre: Director arrested, accused of leaking information to cultists


Mohammed-Abubakar-police

Still trying to fish out the masterminds of the massacre of dozens of policemen and security agents in Alakyo in Nasarawa State about two weeks ago, security operatives have arrested a senior director working with the state government in connection with the killings.
The officer was alleged to have passed strategic security information to the cultists thereby enabling them to strike with precision on the fateful day.
Vanguard learnt from a reliable source that the director, whose name was given as Mohammed and works at the office of the Secretary to the State Government, was privy to most security decisions taken by the state on account of his position in the administration.
Findings by Vanguard yesterday revealed that angry security agents, who are still peeved over the killings of their colleagues by the dreaded Ombatse cult group, swooped on Mohammed after tracing some vital information leaked to the group, to his phone.
The suspect, who is believed to be an Eggon native, where the cult has its roots and base, was reportedly picked up from his office to the surprise of his staff, when the security men handcuffed and whisked him away in a commando-like fashion.
Mohammed was initially detained and questioned by men of the Criminal Investigation Department in Lafia before being transferred to Abuja for further interrogation in connection with the heinous crime.
A senior official of the Nasarawa State government, who pleaded anonymity because he had not been authorised to speak on the matter, confirmed the arrest of the director and transfer to Abuja by security men.
The officer said that the man was arrested after security agents established a relationship between him and the deadly cult group in the state.
The Inspector General of Police, Abubakar Mohammed, had on Monday confirmed the arrest of no fewer than 15 officers and men, who allegedly connived with the cult group to massacre the policemen in the state.
The IG said the men were still being investigated to determine their level of culpability or otherwise in the offence.
It would be recalled that no fewer than 96 police officers and men as well as Department of State Service, DSS, officials, who had gone to Eggon, about 10 kilometres away from the Nasarawa State capital, to arrest the leader of the Ombatse shrine were ambushed and murdered by the cultists on May 9, 2013.
As at yesterday, the security agencies were yet to swoop on the cultists, who are believed to be holed up in the vast forests in the area, roaring to descend on any intruder in the community.
The cult group, which had earlier been outlawed by the Al-Makura administration, was reportedly encouraged by some powerful politicians to continue with its malevolent activities, hoping to use them to outsmart their opponents in the 2015 elections.

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